Description

T.H.E. Cat TV Show 1966 – 1967

Complete Series – 7 Disks

T.H.E. Cat is an American action drama that aired during the 1966–1967 television season on NBC.

The series was co-sponsored by R.J. Reynolds (Winston) and Lever Brothers and was created by Harry Julian Fink, the creator of Dirty Harry .

Robert Loggia starred as the title character, Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat. T.H.E. Cat is a forerunner of television characters such as The Equalizer, who skirt the edges of the law and bring skills from earlier careers on behalf of those needing more help than the police can offer.

The series preceded the 1968–1970 ABC television series It Takes a Thief, which was also about a cat burglar who used his skills for good.

“Out of the night comes a man who saves lives at the risk of his own. Once a circus performer, an aerialist who refused the net. Once a cat burglar, a master among jewel thieves. Now a professional bodyguard. Primitive… savage… in love with danger. The Cat!”

This was the intro of a series that was, for a variety of reasons, truly ahead of its time. It had a hero who was a reformed thief, having spent an unspecified term in prison, and of Gypsy heritage. In the mold of famed private-eye Peter Gunn and the waterfront bar ‘Mother’s’, Cat operated out of the ‘Casa Del Gato’ (House Of The Cat) in San Francisco, of which he was part owner.

The show was dark and moody, fitting the character, and was one of the first to use martial arts in a realistic way. (The others were The Green Hornet, which premiered on ABC the same year, and the earlier 1960 syndicated series, “The Case of the Dangerous Robin” starring Rick Jason.) This was unknown on TV at that time and rarely seen even in films (an exception was The Manchurian Candidate, the first Hollywood movie to show martial arts in realistic fashion instead of the ‘judo chops’ usually depicted). The series also featured a number of highly gifted guest stars and relied heavily on the film noir school to set the tone of the series.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Cat was not an assassin. Nor did he work for San Francisco P.D., although he was brought in on certain operations (such as the pilot episode) where a specialist was called for (his SFPD contact was Captain McAllister, played by R.G. Armstrong) . In the October 7th episode “Brotherhood”, Cat performed sniper duty during a hostage situation – this was long before S.W.A.T. was born. Cat carried a Walther PP automatic in .32 caliber and a balanced throwing knife strapped to his left forearm. He was lethal with both.

Episodes

• To Kill a Priest, written by Harry Julian Fink, directed by Boris Sagal
• Sandman, written by J.D. Buchanan, directed by Boris Sagal
• Payment Overdue, written by Robert Hamner,directed by Boris Sagal
• Brotherhood, written by Harry Julian Fink, directed by Maurice Vaccarino
• Little Arnie From Long Ago, directed by Don McDougall
• None to Weep, None to Mourn, directed by Harvey Hart
• The Moment Of Truth, written by A. Rowe, directed by John Rich
• Marked For Death, written by S. Adams, directed by Alan Crosland
• Crossing at Destino Bay, written by R.E. Thompson, directed by Boris Sagal
• To Bell T.H.E. Cat, written by B.C. Schoenfeld,directed by Sutton Roley
• Curtains for Miss Winslow,directed by Herschel Daugherty
• King of Limpets,directed by Boris Sagal
• The System, written by Robert Hamner,directed by Don Mc Dougall
• The Canary Who Lost His Voice,directed by Joseph Pevney
• The Ring of Anasis, written by Herman Miller, directed by Jacques Tourneur
• Queen of Diamonds, Knave of Hearts, written by Jack Turley, directed by Boris Sagal
• A Hot Place to Die, written by Jack Turley, directed by Paul Baxley
• A Slight Family Trait, written by Jack Turley, directed by Boris Sagal
• If Once You Fail, written by Harry Julian Fink, directed by Maurice Vaccarino
• Design for Death, directed by Alan Crosland
• Mind Over Matter, directed by Boris Sagal
• The Blood-Red Night, directed by Bert Freed
• The Ninety Percent Blues, directed by Harry Harris
• The Long Chase, directed by Paul Baxley
• Twenty-One and Out, directed by Paul Stanley
• Lisa, directed by Jud Taylor

7 Disks – 25 Episodes – Region 1